Live-streaming of suicide on Facebook triggers row in Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) A controversy has been triggered in West Bengal after a man, his wife and their son committed suicide at Bakkhali area in South 24 Parganas district with the act streaming live on Facebook on Sunday night.

According to the police, the live streaming of the act was available on the Facebook page of the man, after his daughter was heckled by the members of a self-help group for women for alleged defalcation of funds to the tune of Rs 3 lakh.

According to the police, the family lived in the district's Kulpi area. The couple and their son left home on Sunday and went to a desolate place in the coastal village of Bakkhali, where the incident took place.

"The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. We have launched an investigation into the matter," Bhaskar Mukherjee, Superintendent of Police, Sunderbans police district, told the media.

The daughter of the deceased used to run a self-help group and was responsible for collecting money from 12 group members and depositing it in the bank. She has been running this group for the last four years.

According to the members of the group, recently they came to know that the girl didn't deposit a single penny in the bank and instead she had siphoned the whole money. According to the members, she took a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh from the bank in 2017 and another Rs 1 lakh six months back.

"A large number of these women stormed the family's home at Kulpi on Saturday night. It is alleged that they assaulted the couple's daughter who pleaded innocence. The family filed a complaint at Kulpi police station later in the night. Five of these women are being questioned," a district police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"Apparently, it seems that the family committed suicide because they couldn't bear the insult. We are looking into it," the officer said.

The girl, her husband and their son are still absconding.

Source: IANS